Kelly Rippin, an anchor/reporter for WZTV-TV/Nashville, received a “recording studio makeover” from engineers Alan Shacklock and Joe Masters at SAE Institute’s Nashville campus.

A huge asset for SAE Nashville is the ability of Alan Shacklock, the Department Chair of our Audio Technology Program, to encourage, support, and get the best out of our students. Kelly’s relaxed demeanor in the studio was a direct result of his talents.

“Singing in a professional recording studio setting was the most humbling experience of my life,” says Rippin. “Alan and Joe were so amazing. They couldn’t have been any more comforting, helpful, or awesome if they tried. Plus, they made me sound fantastic.”

Rippin sang into a Telefunken CU-29 Copperhead microphone and the two engineers recorded her performance using Logic 10, a digital audio workstation program by Apple. They then mixed Rippin’s vocals on a SSL Board over a pre-existing backing track and added E-Series equalization as well as on board compression from the SSL board. Finally, they tuned and edited her vocals using the Logic X tuning software. The entire process took about six hours to complete.

“Kelly's timing was very good, so there was very little quantizing or repositioning of her vocals that we needed to do,” says Shacklock, a three-time Grammy nominee, and has produced silver, gold and platinum recordings for such artists as Jeff Beck, Meat Loaf, Roger Daltrey, and Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber. “Given that her job requires speaking into a microphone rather than singing, she did great.”

Lynn Dorton, Campus Director of SAE Institute Nashville, wasn’t surprised by how comfortable Shacklock and Masters made Rippin feel in the studio.

“As the Department Chair of our Audio Technology Program, Alan is also one of most popular faculty members,” says Dorton. “His ability to encourage, support, and get the best out of our audio engineering students is a huge asset for SAE Nashville, and Kelly’s relaxed demeanor in the studio was a direct result of Alan’s talents. Joe is one of our top Logic Pro instructors, and there’s no better example of his amazing skills than the big reveal of Kelly’s made-over vocal performance. The three of them made a great team, and I’m thrilled that Kelly enjoyed the experience so much.”

About SAESAE Institute provides aspiring creative media professionals with a foundation of practical theory and valuable hands-on training in their chosen areas of concentration. Under the guidance of our faculty, which is comprised of working industry professionals, students gain the essential experience they need for entry-level jobs in the entertainment business. Our students are supported in their job searches by SAE’s international network of alumni, many of whom are leaders in the music, film, game arts, and live performance arenas. We offer programs in audio technology across our seven US campuses, along with a music business program at select locations, all fully accredited and focused on preparing students for employment when they graduate. Bachelor’s Degree programs in Animation, Audio, Film, Game Art & Graphic Design are available at the two locations of Ex’pression College, which is owned and operated by SAE Institute Group, Inc. SAE Institute Group, Inc. is a part of Navitas LTD. Learn more at USA.sae.edu.

About Navitas
Navitas is an Australian global education leader, providing pre-university and university programs, English language courses, migrant education and settlement services, creative media education, student recruitment, professional development, and corporate training services to more than 80,000 students across a network of over 100 colleges and campuses in 27 countries. Learn more at Navitas.com.